The leaders of Nirapon, a platform established with the support of 23 North American apparel brands and retailers as a successor to the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, on Tuesday met with chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

Nirapon chair Simone Sultana and independent director Tapan Chowdhury led the team led the team, joined by representatives of top Western brands and retailers.

Chief adviser told the Nirapon officials that the Interim Government was committed to implementing important labour reforms to take the country’s labour laws to ILO standards.

‘We have already taken some moves. You will see the changes very soon,’ he said.

Simone Sultana thanked the chief adviser for his efforts in initiating reforms in the garment industry.

She said that Nirapon, along with its local partners BRAC and Amader Kotha, had played a leading role in developing and delivering innovative tools to help factories manage their safety.

Brand representatives also expressed their satisfaction with the improvements in factory safety across the country.

Apparel brands and buyers from North America and Canada, who were the signatories of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, on April 29, 2019 announced a new platform namely Nirapon for safety monitoring in the Bangladesh readymade garment factories from which the companies procure products.

Bangladesh National Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury served as the inaugural Chair of the Nirapon Board when it was launched as a brand-initiated and locally oriented platform at a press conference held at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka.

Following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 24, 2013, that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, North American buyers formed Alliance undertaking a five-year plan, which set timeframes and accountability for inspections, trainings and worker empowerment programmes.

The platform wound up its operations in Bangladesh on December 31, 2018 as its tenure ended.

As per the final report of the platform, the total number of Alliance-affiliated factories was 714 at the beginning, though the number of active factories came down to 654 in December, 2018.

During the launch ceremony, the then chief executive officer of Nirapon Moushumi Khan said that as of April 29, 2019, the initiative had 21 member brands and more than 600 factories.

‘While Nirapon builds on the achievements of the Alliance’s successful remediation efforts, and our goal of worker safety remains the same, the Nirapon model is fundamentally different,’ she said.

Meanwhile, at a meeting on September 29, 2019, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) raised concerns over Nirapon’s activities, alleging that it was creating confusion over safety standards and imposing additional costs under the pretext of monitoring and training.

BGMEA members also claimed that Nirapon was fostering a market for service providers, particularly local training organisations and qualified assessment firms, which manufacturers could not afford after investing heavily in workplace safety over the past five years.

Meanwhile, on October 22, 2019, the High Court imposed a six-month ban on Nirapon’s activities following a writ petition filed by Dragon Sweater and Spinning Limited.

Later, on December 2, 2019, the Appellate Division dismissed Nirapon’s appeal against the High Court’s order, which had restrained it from engaging in RMG safety and inspection activities.

In a statement posted on its website on May 29, 2020, Nirapon announced its decision to leave Bangladesh, stating that it would operate from North America.

The Nirapon Board of Directors expressed gratitude to the team for their years of dedication and efforts in building a safer garment industry in Bangladesh.